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Mapping app company wins Pounds 200k World Bank contract [Western Morning News (England)]
[September 18, 2014]

Mapping app company wins Pounds 200k World Bank contract [Western Morning News (England)]


(Western Morning News (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) A company which developed a sophisticated mapping software has won valuable orders from the World Bank and a large American company within months of launching.

RouteShoot is an application for smartphones which allows users to take a video which links to a map reference without the need for sophisticated hardware in a mobile van. The information can then be stored in the cloud.

Despite launching only in July 2013, the potential for the software has been spotted by the World Bank which is using RouteShoot to check on projects it is funding to improve roads in the Phillippines by taking before and after shots of work.



The app has also been spotted by American company, Premier, to accurately map utility pipes and cables for the property market.

The recent deal is worth Pounds 208,000 for the Exeter-based software company.


In its first year of trading, RouteShoot which won the Exeter Business Awards Innovation of the Year for 2014, is now looking to achieve 75% of its turnover from export sales and is exploring further opportunities with potential customers in Greece, Nigeria, Australia and Canada and is receiving valuable assistance from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

RouteShoot director, Adam May, who set-up the company with Gary Wilson and Andy Pym, said: "We developed RouteShoot as a tool for our civil engineering consultancy, but decided to set-up a separate business to realise the software's full potential.

"We had no previous export experience and working with UKTI has allowed us to get an entry into new markets by giving us business leads and contacts and good advice on how to approach sales overseas. We now plan to build on this to increase sales." He added: "We see particular potential in developing countries, where expensive and cumbersome mapping equipment in a survey vehicle might be difficult to get to areas with poor road networks and challenging climates." Help from UKTI's Market Visit Support has allowed the company to attend a major trade show in the USA and it is appointing a network of agents in America with help from UKTI's Overseas Market Introduction Service.

Using the Business Assist programme, RouteShoot has also identified around 200 target companies in the United States. In February, 2014, RouteShoot was one of six finalists in the Smart UK Project's Most Innovative Mobile Company of 2014 backed by UKTI, which led to the company being showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

UKTI international trade adviser, Korash Sanjideh, said: "RouteShoot is a great example of a small, homegrown, high-tech company which has come up with an innovative idea which can be sold worldwide. It is now attracting the attention of potential customers globally and shows how export markets can drive growth." (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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